


Chicken Soup

by DAWK



Category: Normal People - Sally Rooney, Normal People - TV Series
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Fluff, poorly Connell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:02:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25811761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DAWK/pseuds/DAWK
Summary: Marianne worries she's too cold to people, until Connell turns up on her doorstep with an *actual* cold.
Relationships: Connell Waldron/Marianne Sheridan, Marianne Sheridan/Connell Waldron
Comments: 6
Kudos: 52





	Chicken Soup

**Author's Note:**

> So I thought I wasn't going to write anymore but this idea wouldn't leave me alone and here we are! 
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos, they mean the world to me!
> 
> Thank you so much, I hope you enjoy reading!x

Sipping the dregs of a cold cup of coffee, Marianne looked out of her living room window. Unlike Connell, who had an annoyingly impressive habit of getting essays written up within days of them being set, Marianne had a tendency to put them off until the last minute. As a result, she had been glued to the same spot for the past two days, writing and rewriting non-stop in an attempt to beat the looming deadline at the end of the week. Today had been more bearable than the others, though, because Connell was coming over.

They had been seeing each other casually since reconciling at college a few months back, although the amount of time Connell was spending over at Marianne's flat seemed far from casual, to her at least. This past week, however, Connell had been busy trying to get ahead with his course reading and Marianne was becoming desperate to finish her essay, so she was looking forward to spending an evening with him, if not just to take her mind off the endless critical papers she had been surrounded by all day. 

Marianne had become far too preoccupied with checking her word count every five minutes to notice that Connell was over an hour later than he said he would be, knocking on the door just after 7pm. Marianne skipped into the hallway and opened the front door to be greeted by a windswept Connell, his bright red nose and ears being the only features entirely visible to Marianne as he stood somewhat impatiently on the dark porch, waiting to be let in.

"You look cold." she smiled, opening the door wider for him to enter.

***********

Plating up the chicken that had been roasting in the oven for a few hours, Marianne breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She couldn't quite understand why, but having Connell around made her mood pick up almost instantly and took her mind off how stressed she'd let herself become. 

"It's good. I'm not entirely sure what most of it means, but it reads really well, Marianne." Connell said, moving the heap of essay drafts she'd practically thrown at him the second he came through the door to one side as they sat down to eat.

"Thanks, it's been driving me crazy." Marianne chuckled, taking a bite of broccoli. "I was thinking maybe on Friday night, once I've handed it in, we could go out and celebrate?" Marianne topped up her glass of wine as she listened for Connell's reply. But it never came.

"Connell?" 

Marianne looked up at him and let out a small gasp. The fork he was holding was shaking in his hand and his glass of water was caught between his chattering teeth. She'd assumed he looked a bit off colour when she first saw him because of the cold weather, it being the middle of January. 

"Sorry." he whispered eventually, "I'm not feeling too good." 

"You look awful. Are you alright?"

"Mm thanks, Marianne." he laughed, "I think I've got tonsillitis or something, you know? A bit of a fever, maybe."

"You don't have to eat if you don't want to. It's okay." 

"I'm starving to be honest, it's just, my throat's really hurting. I'll be fine. I should probably go though, I don't want you to be getting it-"

"No. You're staying here. It's pouring down outside and I know he's training to be a doctor but, well, Niall's not quite there yet, is he?"

Connell let out another laugh, although it hurt his head to do so, "Aye, I suppose he's not."

"You go and have a shower. There's painkillers and medicine in the bathroom cabinet and some of your clothes are on the radiator in my room, alright?"

Connell turned to her before walking incredibly slowly up the stairs, "Thank you, Marianne."

Marianne waited at the kitchen table until she heard the water running upstairs, then set about the kitchen in a mad rush. Marianne often wondered if having such a cold family had made her completely incapable of being able to love and care for other people. Having Connell in her life had proved this to be entirely false. When they had rekindled their relationship, once she'd broken up with Gareth, there was an air of uncertainty between them which resulted in them both settling for something more casual than Marianne would have liked. She was also convinced that Connell wanted them to be exclusive - not that they'd slept with other people, but her reluctance to tell her new friends about their relationship was something that she knew bugged Connell. Making her way upstairs to the bedroom, Marianne made a promise to herself that she'd invite Connell to the next night out Peggy planned for the group - once he was better, of course.

Connell had finished showering and had changed into the jersey tracksuit bottoms and Gaelic football t-shirt he kept at Marianne's, along with a pair of thick socks to try and warm himself up. He was lying on the bed when Marianne walked in, carrying a huge mug in each hand.

"Try this." she smiled, placing a mug on the table in front of him. 

Connell looked into the mug, expecting to see tea, before looking back at Marianne with a confused expression on his colour-drained face.

"It's chicken soup, Connell." Marianne laughed, "You couldn't eat it in its solid form so I've blended it up, I hope it's okay."

Taking a tentative sip, Connell gave her the biggest smile he could muster, "It's great, thank you." 

*******************

Settling back into bed after brushing their teeth, Marianne began to quiz Connell.

"Have you had some painkillers?" 

"I have, they should start to kick in soon."

"Are you feeling too hot or too cold now?"

"Hmm, too cold still, I think."

"Good." Marianne down, moving over towards Connell.

"Oh it's 'good', is it?" Connell smirked, holding his arm up for Marianne to move in underneath it.

"Yeah, because then I can do this." Marianne gently lay her head on his chest, scrunching her face up in sympathy as she heard how laboured his breathing had become.

"Are you sure I'm alright staying the night?" Connell shifted slightly, feeling his eyelids becoming heavy.

Marianne laughed, "If I said no now, would you be in any fit state to walk home?"

"Good point." Connell mumbled, dozing off slowly into a light sleep.

Marianne didn't sleep much, her mind preoccupied with her essay that she was praying would be complete this time tomorrow and with Connell, who had only just stopped shivering two hours after falling asleep. Placing her hand on his now burning face, Marianne kissed his nose carefully before settling down to hear his heartbeat again. Seeing the content look on Connell's face as he slept peacefully made Marianne realise something that she hadn't thought possible until now.

Maybe she wouldn't be such a terrible girlfriend, after all.


End file.
